LEGO Architecture

LEGO is one of the best toys ever.  I will not even entertain arguments to the contrary.  Beyond all the arguments one can make regarding creativity and imagination and what all else educators use to justify their use of LEGO in the classroom, it is just fun!

Adults, too, often enjoy playing with LEGO.  I know I do.  But, other than the occassional set that might stir feelings of nostalgia (for example, the Star Wars and Indiana Jones lines of LEGO sets), there aren’t really too many, if any, LEGO lines that really target adults and adult interests.

Very recently, all that changed:

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation announced today that The LEGO Group is now the exclusive licensed manufacturer of Frank Lloyd Wright Collection® LEGO Architecture sets.

The LEGO Group and Adam Reed Tucker of Brickstructures, Inc. officially introduced the LEGO Architecture line in 2008. The line currently consists of six buildings – now including two of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous and recognizable buildings, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and “Fallingwater.”

With models developed in collaboration with architects, LEGO Architecture works to inspire future architects, engineers and designers as well as architecture fans around the world with the LEGO brick as a medium. Builders of all ages can now collect and construct their favorite worldwide architectural sites through these artistic replicas.

Both exclusive Frank Lloyd Wright LEGO Architecture sets contain booklets that feature traditional building instructions along with exclusive archival historical material and photographs of each iconic building.

(part of a press release found here)

According to a similar article at Wired:

Some of the Lego Architecture kits sell for about $20 each, but it seems that some of the fancier models, such as the Frank Lloyd Wright kits, will go for about $40. That’s enough money that you probably can’t afford all of them, but if you have your heart set on having your own Fallingwater, the price isn’t too high.

Although I am not a huge architecture fan, I do take a passive interest in it.  And with some exceedingly cool opportunities for LEGO to develop sets in this line, the Architecture line is one I’m gong to keep my eye on…(along with the LEGO Space Police).